Delta Emerald
by TheSignOfLibra
Summary: Tori has moved from Johto to Hoenn with her trusted Cyndaquil, and hoping to have a exciting and meaningful journey. Instead, she gets a journey full of drama and danger. Can she push through with the support of friends, or will she crumble with the rest of Hoenn?
1. Chapter 1

**I've had this rolling around in my head for weeks now, and decided to take action. I'll try to make Tori seem as realistic as possible, with an bit of an unbalanced team at first, and evening it out as it goes. So yeah, expect a few lost battles. And maybe a double weakness Pokemon! *rubs hands together and grins***

 **Flames will be used to light candles. Maybe.**

 **Oh yes! I do not own Pokemon, or I would've given the Alola region a better name a long time ago. And made a Delta Emerald.**

O.o.O.o.O

Tori was in the front seat of her mother's car with her new Cyndaquil, who she named Blaze, she had received a few days earlier. "You know, Professor Elm said Hoenn was pretty great, with plenty of Pokemon that are rarely found in Johto." Her mother said, taking a moment to glance at her daughter before turning her eyes back to the road. She was disappointed to see no reaction, just the teenager dangling a piece of her sandwich above the Pokemon's nose before dropping it in his mouth. Blaze chewed it thoughtfully, before swallowing.

There was mostly silence the rest of the way to Littleroot Town, and when Tori finally stepped out, she wasn't impressed by her new home, but she could appreciate how it how it's own sort of beauty. Not that she would admit it. Her Cyndaquil hopped out and took in the house they were parked in front of. The 'For Sale' sign hadn't been taken down yet, and from what she knew, her room took up the second floor while her mother had a bedroom on the first floor.

"I'll start unpacking my stuff, I guess." Tori said as she grabbed the keys to the new house and went to unlock the door. Passing the kitchen and walking quickly up the stairs, she was greeted with the few boxes she chose to bring along with her TV, desk, and bed.

An hour later, she was sitting on her bed with Blaze next to her, checking the PokeNav her mother had gotten her. The doorbell rang, and with her mother having had gone to the small grocery store to stock their fridge, Tori got off the bed, leaving the PokeNav on her bed, and gathered the tiny fire-type in her arms as she went downstairs to open the door. A girl was standing there, about her age, with a blue Pokemon with fins growling at a flower nearby.

"Hi! I'm Aubrey! I heard you were moving in today, and I had to be the first to greet you!" The girl, Aubrey, was talking so fast that Tori barely understood a word she was saying. All she caught after those first sentences was "Mudkip" and "Skipper". So Tori leaned against the doorway for at least five minutes while Aubrey talked about the town, how cute her Cyndaquil was, and how the professor was picking three children to receive a Pokedex…. WAIT.

"As in, go on a journey around Hoenn to fill the Pokedex?" Tori asked when Aubrey took a moment to catch her breath. Aubrey looked up, and grinned. "Yeah! You want to see if you'll be accepted? He picks who gets a Pokedex in an hour or so, and since you have that Cyndaquil, I'm guessing you have a trainer license?" Tori nodded, and all of a sudden Aubrey snatched her hand and began dragging her down the driveway towards the professor's lab. Blaze looked a bit confused and he raced after Tori. Skipper sighed, and began trotting after his own trainer.

The professor's lab was on the outskirts of town. When the two girls arrived, Tori immediately noticed that something was wrong. The door to the lab was left open and the yard was completely empty. She knew from her visits to Professor Elm's lab when she lived in Johto that the lab mainly had the large yard for the Pokemon they were researching or were being kept for trainers. There wasn't a single Pokemon in sight. Aubrey, on the other hand, seemed totally oblivious to the signs something wasn't right and strolled right into the lab. Tori was a bit more cautious, having Blaze right next her with him flaring up the flames on his back.

Which was a good idea, because it turned out they walked right into a robbery.

A man in ripped pants and a striped shirt, along with a bandana, looked up from what he was doing and saw two teenage girls staring at him. He was on the professor's computer, and was transferring data onto a Cleffa-shaped pen drive. Tori couldn't help but snort, and Aubrey stifled a laugh. After that moment passed and both realized what was going on, Aubrey called Skipper to her side, and Blaze's flames grew on his back. The man sent out a Poochyena, and it growled menacingly at both Pokemon.

"Skipper, Tackle!" Aubrey called out, a bit of anxiety in her tone. _Must be her first actual battle with Skipper,_ Tori realized. Tori had a few battles alongside her Cyndaquil before leaving Johto, so she was a bit more confident when it came to battling.

"Blaze, Smokescreen!" The Cyndaquil blew smoke from his nose, and just in time, too, because the man had ordered his Poochyena to use Bite, and the Poochyena got a face full of smoke. A couple Tackles from both Pokemon, and the Poochyena was down. The man cursed and recalled his fallen Pokemon before shoving past both girls and making a run for it. Tori picked up the pen drive he left behind. "You forgot this, idiot!" She called, waving the ridiculous thing in the air, but the stranger was smart enough not to return for it.

Aubrey looked at Tori before saying, "You know, it might've been a better idea to call the police instead of letting him run off?" Tori shrugged. "What's done is done. May as well call the police now." Taking out the PokeNav, she called the police and filled them in on what had taken place.

 **That's the first chapter of Delta Emerald! This story may not be updated regularly like most, as in every Monday and Friday. It'll have a few days in between, maybe up to a week.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, first things first, THE REVIEWERS.**

 **WyldClaw- Thanks for being the first reviewer! You'll find out in this chapter what the guy was looking for, but that's just the beginning for Tori. *grins evilly* Oh, poor Tori. How much trouble you will get into.**

 **St Elmo's Fire- Thank you for the advice. I'm not the best at perfecting grammar, and, like everyone, I have my flaws. And as for capitalizing Pokemon species names, I actually prefer it. Like preferring one way to tie your shoe than the other. Plus, I notice whenever Pokemon names aren't capitalized, I tend to skip over the whole part and realize a minute later that I have no clue what Pokemon is being talked about. I suspect others have that problem as well, so why be a pushover for a few people when there are others who actually read and understand better if I write the way I'm used to?**

 **Thunderwolf7226- She does have a fear of- wait, can't let you know yet. But not a fear of water. She's a bit afraid of diving deep into the ocean, but that's more of a minor fear.**

 **Tori: Say the damn disclaimer already!**

 **Me: Oh, ye- WAIT. You're a figment of my imagination. Get out of my author's note!**

 **Tori: -Crosses arms- No. Say the disclaimer.**

 **Me: Fine. I do not own Pokemon. Only my own characters, one who can't listen to her creator.**

 **Tori: Shut up.**

 **Me: Make me.**

 **-Fist fight ensues-**

O.o.O.o.O

When the police arrived, which took over an hour due to the fact the closest police station was in Oldale Town, Tori handed over the Cleffa pen drive and explained what exactly had happened, with Aubrey adding in unnecessary details such as "It was Skipper's first battle and he handled it like a pro!", which irritated the officer trying to get a detailed description on the man. After Tori had finished speaking, it didn't take long for the police to realize who exactly was behind this.

"Team Who?" Tori asked as the officer explained who the man was working for. The officer sighed. "Team Aqua. They are one of the main criminal organizations located here in Hoenn. The other is Team Magma. Both teams are constantly fighting over who gets control of the region so it's easier to carry out missions without the other team sabotaging their attempts. As a result, many trainers get caught in the clashes between the two."

"That sounds lovely." Tori replied, sarcasm evident in her tone. "So what was he looking for here exactly?"

"Here's the weirdest thing. He was downloading any information that Professor Birch had on the legendary Pokemon of Hoenn." The officer shook her head. "Seriously, are they desperate enough to think that somehow a legendary Pokemon will be willing to help them?"

Skipper suddenly darted towards the entrance with an enthusiastic "Mudkip!" and greeted a brown-haired man with a beard. "Hey, Mudkip!" The man patted the blue Pokemon on the head. Aubrey also stood up to greet him. "Hey Professor Birch! We actually came over to have Tori apply to get the Pokedex, but…. stuff happened."

The professor looked over at the teenage girl, still sitting in her chair, a Cyndaquil napping by her side. Tori was absentmindedly stroking the Pokemon's back, and considering how she managed to beat a Team Aqua member using only a young Pokemon, Birch made up his mind. "Tori, would you care to add a Treecko to your team? He's left behind after the rest of the starters were chosen, and considering I'm giving you the Pokedex, he would be a useful addition to your team." It took a moment for Tori to properly process this. Another Pokemon AND a Pokedex?

"Yes!" Tori was delighted, but this was one of the few times her emotions actually showed on her face without realizing. Blaze woke up at this, a bit startled. "Cynda?" he asked.

The professor walked over to his desk and pulled out a red rectangular object, probably the Pokedex. From another drawer, he produced a Poke Ball. "Just a warning, this Treecko isn't exactly the friendliest. You might have a bit of trouble with him." With that, he handed her a couple of extra empty Poke Balls and a belt to hold her Poke Balls. Tori fastened it on and took Cyndaquil's Poke Ball out of her pocket and attached it, along with the Treecko's ball.

"Well, I'm gonna head home to pack and stuff. Thanks, professor." With that, Tori picked up Blaze and headed out of the lab, heading home.

Her mom was already back home, with a few groceries still on the counter, including food for Cyndaquil. "Uh, mom?" Tori asked, suddenly a bit nervous. "You remember how you told me how you wanted me to experience Hoenn and all?" Her mother looked at her as she explained what she wanted to do.

"A journey, huh? Took you long enough to decide!" Tori was a bit shocked. Her mother continued, "I figured you'd want the journey you didn't get to experience in Johto as soon as we moved! This is great! All that money wasn't wasted on these after all!" Tori looked utterly confused as her mother grabbed a small bag and handed it to her daughter. Tori looked inside and saw a brand-new TM case and a jewelry box. Opening the TM case, she saw it had a few TMs already inside, including Ice Beam and Flame Charge. Inside the jewelry box was a necklace with a pendant on it. It had an elegant, yet simple design. Tori held up the necklace. "What's this, exactly?" She asked. Her mother smiled. "That was mine when I went out on a journey. I found that stone in Mt. Mortar and had it made part of a necklace. It was a good luck charm for me, though it didn't get me to the Elite Four as I hoped it would." Tori nodded and quickly put on the necklace. "I'm going to get my stuff." Tori called as she went up the stairs.

Really, there wasn't much needed. Food for both her and her Pokemon, including a small stash of candy, life savings, and a few other things. On the way out the door, she grabbed a few extra granola bars and bottles of water.

Her house was closer to the center of Littleroot Town, and it took about twenty minutes to reach the entrance to Route 101, and by then, her Cyndaquil was already panting. Tori grabbed a water bottle and Blaze eagerly reached for it with his arms, and managed to finish off half the bottle before Tori determined he had enough, and returned him to his Poke Ball. "We need to work on your endurance, buddy." She told the Poke Ball, and returned it to her belt. She felt fine, but couldn't blame the little Pokemon for tiring out so quickly. He was used to traveling by car or not very far, mainly due to his short legs.

And with that, she continued onto Route 101.

 **Tori: HOLD IT. That's how you're ending this chapter.**

 **Me: Yes. Yes I am. I've been working on this every chance I get and I'm a little bit tired and cranky.**

 **Tori: -huffs-**

 **-Pietro starts chirping loudly-**

 **Me: I swear, Pietro, I will feed you to my cat myself. And nobody will ever know.**

 **Tori: Who the hell named a bird PIETRO?!**

 **Me: I did.**

 **As you saw, I've been quite tired from staying up all night DUE TO A CERTAIN BIRD NOT WANTING TO SLEEP *cough* Pietro *cough*. So, updates are a bit slow due to this. And I'm kidding. I love Pietro. I won't feed him to Cody. Cody would get indigestion.**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Hey guys, I'm back! I spent about three days straight procrastinating before finally starting this chapter, so yeah. Sorry. And I had a wedding to attend. I put ginger ale in one cousin's Coke and after I put cranberry juice in another's, they told me I had problems.**

Tori had traveled through half of Route 101 before night began to fall. She had been camping before in Johto with her family, but it was a bit different in Hoenn. Mainly because she had no tent. And she had to actually take care of others instead of making sure she was fine and let the adults take care of the rest. So she settled under a group of trees and bushes and let her two Pokemon out. Blaze and her unnamed Treecko emerged in a flash of light and she took a long look at her newest Pokemon. The teen had absolutely no idea what to name the Treecko, so taking out the Pokedex, she looked up to see what evolutions the Pokemon would have.

"Hmmm…. You know, you look like you have blades on your arms in your evolutions, and that seems pretty cool to me. How about I call you Blade?" Tori asked the Treecko, who was currently in a tree above her. The Pokemon nodded, and Tori proceeded to look up Blade's moves.

"Pound, Leer, and Absorb, huh? We'll work on that tomorrow, but in the meantime, both of you get some sleep." Tori's voice came out slightly stricter than she intended, and the Treecko threw a nut at her head. Blaze didn't seem to mind, curling up next to his trainer.

 _Blaze is definitely closer to me, probably because he was my starter, but Blade is going to take some wearing down before he even begins to start trusting me. Will he even listen to me in battle? What if he won't eat what I try to give him? WAIT. Did I even feed them?!_

"DAMMIT!" Both Pokemon jumped, Blaze with his back flared up, and Blade with a menacing glare on his face, looking around. Neither saw anything except their frustrated trainer, digging through her bag. "I forgot to feed you guys!" The Cyndaquil quickly calmed down, but Blade wasn't about to let her get away with that.

The teen really should've seen it coming. The Treecko wasn't used to her, and probably wouldn't put up with her at first, either. So the Pound attack to her back while she was looking through her bag for the food capsules should have been expected. Blaze looked on in horror, but didn't make a move to help his teammate or trainer. Before Tori can react, the Treecko reaches the safety of the trees. The girl glares at the Pokemon before going back to searching for the Pokemon food. If looks could kill, Blade would be six feet under by now.

After getting her team's food ready and a granola bar for herself, Tori settled down against a tree as far away from Blade as possible. She had attempted to return the Treecko, but the Pokemon was too fast for the red beam of light to hit if he didn't want it to hit him. Blaze snuggled underneath the crook of the teen's arm, and quickly fell asleep.

It took longer for Tori to fall asleep. It was her first night alone in a long time. _No_ , she corrected herself, _I have Blaze and Blade for company. I'll be fine._ But even with that mindset, it took a while for the girl to fall asleep.

OoOoO

"Come on, Blaze, we are working on your endurance today! Look at Blade go!" Tori gestured to said Pokemon, who was nearby, jumping from tree to tree with ease. He had been doing so for a while now while her starter was a panting mess.

"Cynda- quil…." Blaze protested, finally having enough and sitting down right in the middle of the grass. Tori sighed. It was obvious the Cyndaquil wasn't going to go anywhere anytime soon. She began looking through her bag for the opened water bottle labeled 'Blaze'.

"Are you sure you aren't pushing your Cyndaquil too hard? He seems pretty tired to me." A boy said from behind her, causing her to jump.

A boy with brown hair, mostly covered by a white hat, was a few feet away from her, with an orange Pokemon by his side. Tori immediately reached for her Pokedex, and pointed it at the Pokemon. It says in a monotone voice, _"Torchic, the Chick Pokemon. Torchic sticks with its Trainer, following behind with unsteady steps. This Pokémon breathes fire of over 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit, including fireballs that leave the foe scorched black."_

"Well, sounds like a Pokemon I wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley." Tori muttered. She was pretty sure the Torchic heard that, because the Chick Pokemon puffed itself up even further, which she didn't think was possible. She heard rustling in the trees to her right, and looked in the direction in time to see Blade emerge from the trees, staring down the Torchic, who shrank under the Treecko's glare. The boy immediately picked up his Torchic and held it close, away from Tori's Treecko. "Isn't that the problem Treecko that was left behind?" He asked her, eyeing the green Pokemon warily.

"Uh, he was the last Pokemon Professor Birch usually gives to beginners…." Tori trailed off.

"Well, I'm Brendan Birch, and I've helped raise that Treecko ever since he hatched from his egg. But if you honestly plan on keeping him and somehow get him to listen to you, that itself would be a miracle. My dad even tried giving the Treecko to elite trainers, who usually would've been delighted to have a powerful and rare Pokemon, but they all returned him within the first day or two." Tori couldn't help but glance at Blade after hearing that. She had a feeling the Treecko would be a lot tougher to train than she originally thought.

So when she heard the phrase "let's have a battle", the girl's head whipped around to face Brendan so fast it caused physical pain. Blaze had managed to pass out while the two were talking, tired out from all the walking, so the hopes of fighting fire with fire was out, so that left…. Blade. Tori returned the Cyndaquil while Brendan's Torchic hopped out of his arms.

"Blade, you ready?" Tori asked, slightly worried about battling with him after hearing more about his background, then stopped, realizing something. _He's my Pokemon, right? I can't just constantly worry whether Blade will listen to me or not if I don't try to work with him!_

While she was giving herself this pep talk, Brendan took his chance to make the first move. "Torch, Ember, now!" Torch immediately began trying to pelt Blade with small flames, landing a few.

"Blade, go for the trees!" Tori was relieved when the Treecko made a dash for the trees nearby, where he would have the advantage. She could now barely see the Pokemon among the leaves, and Brendan couldn't attempt any Embers without risking burning everything down. Without a command, Blade leapt from his hiding spot, hitting Torch with a Pound, straight to the head. Blade then managed to get in an Absorb, before Torch threw him off.

"Torch, Ember again then Scratch!" The Torchic again pelted Blade with small flames, until he got up close, then managed to scratch him with his claws. Tori ordered a Leer, but the Treecko went in for a Pound attack instead. When he managed to land that, Torch fell. Both trainers waited for the Torchic to get up, but when he didn't, Brendan returned him and clipped the Poke Ball to his belt. Her Treecko was also suffering from a few burns himself, so Tori returned Blade as well.

"That was a pretty great battle." Brendan admitted, digging into his pocket for cash. After handing it over, he said, "I'm not sure whether or not you're going to keep Treecko, er, Blade, but if you ever end up deciding to give him up and the lab is too far away, the Day Care near Mauville will probably take him." Tori froze, then nodded, not saying a word.

As she continued on towards Oldale Town, she couldn't help but wonder if she would ever actually be forced to give a Pokemon up.


End file.
